North Fork People of Conscience

Thursday, April 03, 2008

FIVE YEARS TOO MANY

On Saturday, March 15, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, the NFPOC community gathered in Southold to hold the panels of the dead soldiers and to protest the ongoing war.

The event was reported in the Suffolk Times by Julie Lane.

50 march for peace Honor the fallen memorial comes to Silversmith's Corner

By Julie Lane

Rainy skies gave way to sunshine Saturday afternoon, beckoning some 50 demonstrators to Silversmith's Corner in Southold to support North Fork People of Conscience in honoring troops who have given their lives in Iraq. On the fifth anniversary of that conflict, they stood shoulder to shoulder, bearing the images and brief biographies of the dead -- many with faces as young as those of local high school students.

When a couple of youths walked by and were invited to join the demonstration, they said they didn't have the time.

"You're going to be spending a lot of time in Iraq soon," a female demonstrator told them. An occasional passing car sounded its horn in support of those who stood in the chilly air. But most motorists went about their business, seemingly oblivious to the messages the demonstrators hoped to send.

"Somebody's got to hold these pictures up to honor their lives," Jean Lawless of Shelter Island said about the images of fallen soldiers.

"Southold will go with McCain," one man predicted.

Others had mixed opinions as to whether the November election will bring change to the country's war effort.

"Even Obama admits you can't get out overnight," said retired Southold school teacher David Hewitt. "It'll be at least another four years and another 4,000 lives. We're exporting democracy. We're losing it and they're not getting it," he said about the Iraqis.

Mr. Hewitt's wife, Mary, described herself as more optimistic, but said she's still not sure Americans will elect a woman or an African-American.

"I can't live my life believing that we can't make a change," said Jim Schwartz of Southampton. He's a World War II and Korean War veteran and a member of the anti-war East End Veterans.

"Ignorance is not bliss," Mr. Schwartz said. He remembers helping to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp early in his military career and believes it's only those willing to "take the road less traveled" who can make a difference in the world.

"We always have to have hope," Christine Baker of Mattituck said.

"We could have a third Bush term with McCain," said Bob Hovey of Southold.

"This is no democracy," opined Bill Douglas of Peconic. While ice cream just purchased at IGA was melting in his car, he felt compelled to spend some time at the rally."We talk about democracy; we better clean up our own democracy," he said.

"This was an important use of my time," Lucy Cutler of Mattituck said about joining the demonstration. She believes either Democratic candidate -- Sen. Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton -- would end the war."It's a drain of life, a drain of energy," she said.

"So my grandchildren won't be going over to Iraq," said Barbara Kujawski of Mattituck, explaining her reason for demonstrating against the war. "War solves nothing," said Ms. Kujawski, who was born on Pearl Harbor Day.

Two German students visiting NFPOC leader Pat Hovey and her husband, Bob, got off a plane the night before to be told their first full day here would be spent at the demonstration. Alison Wade and Felix Lauber, who are college students in Munich, said they hope a change of administrations in Washington will bring an end to the Iraqi war.

"But I hoped [that] when the last election was," said Mr. Lauber, a touch of sadness in his voice.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Broadwater Alert

We are forwarding this email from NFEC alerting us to February 12, the date that Governor Spitzer will ben announcing a decision on Broadwater.

We encourage you to take action.

Greetings!

We are asking you to simply cut and paste the letter that appears below or write a letter of your own, protesting Broadwater to the following address: www.ny.gov/governor and then simply click on "Contact the Governor."

Governor Spitzer's announcement date is going to be on or around February 12th which is only next week. A contact number for him, if you wish to call him by phone, is (518) 474-8390

Dear Governor Spitzer: Say NO to Broadwater ! We at the North Fork Environmental Council field phone calls every day about Broadwater. "What can we do to stop this?" "Why are we having this forced down our throats?" "Why did we spend a ton of money to protect and preserve an estuary, only to have it polluted by Broadwater's chlorine wastewater which will kill marine life?" This is the largest environmental issue on the collective mind of all Long Islanders. If Broadwater is to be built, fisherman lose, boaters lose, folks just going down to the beach lose and the environment loses. Additionally, the United States Coast Guard has gone on record in saying that it does not have the resources to protect the public from a possible terrorist attack.

Broadwater has offered to provide the security necessary to protect the public and the transient tankers navigating the Sound and offloading its natural gas. I'm wondering why the federal government would even consider the outsourcing of the public's safety to a private security firm. Do we want another Blackwater-type incident here on Long Island? Protecting its citizenry is the first and foremost responsibility of any government, on any level. What can be done to stop this? The answer is simple. JUST SAY NO to Broadwater.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

AFSC on YouTube-please view and pass on

We are pleased to forward this email in its entirety from the American Friends Service Committee and urge you to circulate the YouTube link to as many people as you can. It's not often that we see such a clear expression of what the war is costing real people in real terms._________________________________________________________Friends,

American Friends Service Committee has just released a new 2 min. video to help people understand the outrageous amount of money that the U.S. spends daily on The Iraq War in comparison to the budget for human needs such as healthcare and education.

To reach the widest audience, we need your help. On YouTube, the more views a video gets, the more visibility it gets.

So we are asking all our friends and supporters to- watch this video (at least once)- rate it (be honest) and- send it to your whole network of friends and family with the same message.- post the video to your FaceBook profile

After you view the video and send it to your friends, if you have a few more moments, please sign our petition to Congress to DEFUND the Iraq War and RE-FUND human needs at home and in Iraq: http://support.afsc.org/site/PageNavigator/DefundRefundPetition

Thanks much for your help.

Iris Bieri

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

FACING WAR-jazz concert at Riverhead First Baptist Church

THE MUSICIANSThe first event of the ten-day long FACING WAR event, sponsored by NFPOC and Riverhead First Baptist Church, was a jazz concert held at the church.

It is not often that the forces and elements conspire to create a truly magical event, one that connected the diverse communities on the North Fork and brought us together to mourn the fallen soldiers and the ineffable consequences of war but also to celebrate life and hope through music, dancing and dialogue. Four groups of musicians played for three hours against a background of the panels that consist of the photographs and obituaries of the Honor the Fallen Memorial.

Although the lighting in the hall does not allow us to show the musicians at their best, we hope that these photographs will allow you to share some of the atmosphere even if you were unable to join us last Saturday evening.

THE AUDIENCE These photos speak for themselves--the audience made up of children, teenagers and adults,all rapt and delighted, transformed by the music.

HONORING THE FALLENPeople took time to meditate and reflect at the lost lives honored in the memorial's panels which lined the hallways of the church.

THE WORKERS AND SPONSORSInstalling the panels and readying the church for the concert was a labor of love and collaboration which we hope will be the beginning of many other community projects in the future.

AFSC's 'ONE DAY OF THE IRAQ WAR' at First Baptist Church

To bring home to us the cost of the Iraq war in terms that each of can relate to, AFSC lent us their new exhibit consisting of five tall free-standing banners, each itemizing what the cost of one day of the war costs Americans. Some examples:

95,364 Head Start Places for children,34,904 4-year scholarships for university students84 new elementary schools

Thursday, October 25, 2007

LIers will travel to NYC on PEACE TRAINS on LIRR arriving around 11 a.m. We will meet down in Penn Station in front of waiting room and will proceed to the assembly area near 22nd St and Broadway (see below).